Furnace, a method for operating a furnace and a furnace controller configured for the same

Abstract

A controller for a gas furnace, a computer-usable medium for implementing a method and a gas furnace are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the controller includes: (1) an interface configured to receive a heating call and (2) a processor configured to enable an inducer of the gas furnace at a low speed based on the heating call and ignite the gas furnace at a high fire operation when determining a low fire pressure switch of the gas furnace is open.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of operating a gas furnace, the method comprising performing following steps, wherein each step directly follows the next step:
 receiving a heating call for a low fire operation of the gas furnace; 
 enabling, using a processor, an inducer of the gas furnace to operate at a low speed in response to receiving the heating call; 
 determining, using the processor, whether a low fire pressure switch of the gas furnace is open; 
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch is open, switching the inducer to operate at a high speed; 
 determining, using the processor, whether the low fire pressure switch and a high fire pressure switch are closed; and 
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch and the high fire pressure switch are closed, igniting the gas furnace at a high fire operation. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch is open, igniting, using the processor, the gas furnace at the high fire operation. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch is open, initiating, using the processor, a lockout routine. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to a determination that the high fire pressure switch is open, initiating, using the processor, a lockout routine. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to a determination that either said low fire pressure switch or said high fire pressure switch is open, initiating, using the processor, a restart routine. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to operate the gas furnace at the high fire operation for a preset period of time. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the low fire pressure switch and the high fire pressure switch are configured to measure combustion air pressure on a discharge side of the inducer. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the low fire pressure switch is configured to indicate when the combustion air pressure is sufficient to support the low fire operation of the gas furnace. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the high fire pressure switch is configured to indicate when the combustion air pressure is sufficient to support the high fire operation of the gas furnace. 
     
     
       10. An article of manufacture for operating a gas furnace, the article of manufacture comprising:
 at least one non-transitory computer readable medium; 
 processor instructions contained on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium, the processor instructions configured to be readable from the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium by at least one processor and thereby cause the at least one processor to operate as to perform following steps, wherein each step directly follows the next step:
 receive a heating call for a low fire operation of the gas furnace; 
 enable an inducer of the gas furnace to operate at a low speed in response to receiving the heating call; 
 determine whether a low fire pressure switch of the gas furnace is open; 
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch is open, switch the inducer to operate at a high speed; 
 determine whether the low fire pressure switch and a high fire pressure switch of are closed; and 
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch and the high fire pressure switch are closed, ignite the gas furnace at a high fire operation. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The article of manufacture according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch is open, ignite the gas furnace at the high fire operation. 
 
     
     
       12. The article of manufacture according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 responsive to the determination that the low fire pressure switch is open, initiate a lockout routine. 
 
     
     
       13. The article of manufacture according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 responsive to the determination that the high fire pressure switch is open, initiate a lockout routine. 
 
     
     
       14. The article of manufacture according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the low fire pressure switch and the high fire pressure switch are configured to measure combustion air pressure on a discharge side of the inducer. 
     
     
       15. The article of manufacture according to  claim 14 , wherein the low fire pressure switch is configured to indicate when the combustion air pressure is sufficient to support the low fire operation of the gas furnace. 
     
     
       16. The article of manufacture according to  claim 14 , wherein the high fire pressure switch is configured to indicate when the combustion air pressure is sufficient to support the high fire operation of the gas furnace.